Farmers in Satkhira district are very happy with a good harvest of mustard flowers this season thanks to favourable weather which helped them to collect 9 thousand 150 kg of honey, officials of the Department of Agriculture told THE BANGLADESH EXPRESS.

About 9,150 hectares of land were used to cultivate mustard this year. In most upazilas under the district, the cultivation fulfilled the target.

Farmer Ataur Rahman from Dor Upazila said last year, he cultivated mustard on a single piece of land and incurred losses of around Tk 4,000. But this time he is expecting to earn a profit of Tk 25,000 after deducting all expenses.

Kolaroa Upazila's Agriculture Officer Mosani Ali said that farmers can increase mustard production by25-30 per cent if they set up bee boxes alongside mustard fields.  Currently, the government is encouraging farmers to introduce bee boxes to cover 1,300 hectares of mustard fields.

“By setting up 2,330 bee boxes, we expect to produce approximately 9,200 kilograms of honey in the upcoming season”, Mosani Ali said adding that the production also depends on the quality of seeds and necessary agricultural inputs.

Abdul Mannan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, said farmers should follow the necessary guidelines for successful cultivation.